TWD: Peanut Butter Torte

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe comes from Elizabeth of Ugg Smell Food (love her blog name!) and she choose Peanut Butter Torte. I am a peanut butter lover so I was excited to see this one be picked. This torte is a chocolate and peanut butter lovers dream come true. The crust is made of crushed oreos and the filling is packed with peanuts, peanut butter and the whole thing is topped with a chocolate ganache.

Of course I couldn't just stick to the recipe and make the same thing. No...definitely not me. What's the fun in that? So what did Heather decide to do to this luscious torte? Graham Crackers for the crust and in the filling. I didn't stop there either. I also added a banana slice under the chocolate ganache...the white chocolate ganache. I also decided to make mini tortes instead of one giant torte...seriously...my hips, thighs, and rear end were ever so grateful for the rest.

As much as I would have liked to stick to the original recipe, the fat and calorie readings were off the chart and in the interest of being healthier, I decided to make the above changes. I also went with reduced fat peanut butter and graham crackers as well as fat free cream cheese. What about the heavy cream in the filling you ask? Well, I was going to sneak that in and just not tell myself but I just happened to forget the heavy cream when I went shopping. It was too late to get more so I searched the Internet for an acceptable substitute. Ummm....there's really not one that could be deemed perfectly acceptable. I did find one site that suggested yogurt and since I did have that (fat free vanilla), I went ahead and used it. It was actually really good in combination with the peanut butter. Plus it was FAT FREE...one more score for the healthier me! Woot!

I halved the recipe and ended up with more filling than crust but that was ok since the filling was tasty by itself. To help keep myself from eating the entire torte, I made little torte bites. They were about the size of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Let me tell ya...they were tasty! As small as they were, they were just the perfect bite to satisfy. Sorry for the crappy pics this week. I couldn't get a good shot for the life of me!

Don't forget to check out the other fabulous bakers at Tuesdays with Dorie to see their takes on the Peanut Butter Torte!

Come back next Tuesday to see what Dianne of Dianne's Dishes has picked for us!

Peanut Butter Torte

1 ¼ c. finely chopped salted peanuts (for the filling, crunch and topping) (I used toasted graham crackers)
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (or finely ground instant coffee)
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
½ c. mini chocolate chips (or finely chopped semi sweet chocolate)
24 Oreo cookies, finely crumbed or ground in a food processor or blender (I used graham cracker crumbs)
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Small pinch of salt
2 ½ c. heavy cream
1 ¼ c confectioners’ sugar, sifted
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ c salted peanut butter – crunchy or smooth (not natural; Dorie uses Skippy, I use reduced fat Jif)
2 tablespoons whole milk
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped

Getting ready: center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch Springform pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Toss ½ cup of the chopped peanuts, the sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chops together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in another small bowl and stir with a fork just until crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the spring form pan (they should go up about 2 inches on the sides). Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely before filling.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, whip 2 cups of the cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar and whip until the cream holds medium-firm peaks. Scrape the cream into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Wipe out (do not wash) the bowl, fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you have one, or continue with the hand mixer, and beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, ¼ cup of the chopped peanuts and the milk.

Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in about one quarter of the whipped cream, just to lighten the mousse. Still working with the spatula, stir in the crunchy peanut mixture, then gingerly fold in the remaining whipped cream. Scrape the mouse into the crust, mounding and smoothing the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.

To Finish The Torte: put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave the bowl over the water just until the chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove the bowl from the saucepan.

Bring the remaining ½ cup cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and , working with a a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until the ganache is completely blended and glossy.

Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing it with a metal icing spatula. Scatter the remaining ½ cup peanuts over the top and chill to set the topping, about 20 minutes.

When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the Springform pan; it’s easiest to warm the pan with a hairdryer, and then remove the sides, but you can also wrap a kitchen towel damped with hot water around the pan and leave it there for 10 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.